Hillbillies and Flesh-Eating Disease Ruin College Kids’ Trip In Above Average Slasher Film ‘Cabin Fever’

Sandra Miska

Remakes are nothing new in the horror genre and the latest film to get a reboot is 2002’s “Cabin Fever.” Original director Eli Roth, who also co-wrote the screenplay, serves as an executive producer. Although director Travis Zariwny used the original script as a starting point, his film is not a shot-by-shot remake.

As in the original “Cabin Fever,” this film centers around five college students – couple Jeff (Matthew Daddario) and Marcy (Nadine Crocker), childhood friends Paul (Samuel Davis) and Karen (Gage Golightly), plus fifth wheel Bert (Dustin Ingram). Like most films in this genre, “Cabin Fever” begins with the kids riding to their secluded destination, talking excitedly about their relaxing vacation during which they expect to be spending most of their time drinking and fornicating. They first begin to suspect something isn’t right in this particular neck of the woods after the young son of the owner of the local convenience store, who for some unknown reason is just hanging out wearing a paper bunny mask, bites Paul’s hand.

More trouble brews not long after the group arrives at the cabin and Bert, whose video game addiction has seemed to have caused him to lose his grip on reality, take a gun out to the woods and accidentally shoots a local man (Randy Schulman). Bert runs away but not before promising the wounded man that he will go find help, which he never does. The trip officially becomes a bust after the man shows up at the cabin door not only wounded but also showing signs of a flesh-eating disease. In their panic, they shut the door on him, only to find him trying to steal their car. Things get out of hand when they try to stop him and at the end their car is totaled, leaving them stranded. The fact that they have no cell reception exacerbates an already scary situation.

Karen is the first to get sick, and Paul thinks they are saved when the flirtatious Deputy Winston (a man in the original film but played brilliantly by Scottish actress Louise Linton in this version) shows up and promises to get them help, which never comes. Of course, all other attempts to receive aid from the locals ends badly. As one can probably guess, things go downhill from there and the kids eventually start turning on each other. It is in the third act that the script departs a great deal from the original.

“Cabin Fever” relies on a lot of overused horror tropes like scary hillbillies, references to “Deliverance,” gratuitous sex scenes and nudity. However, while many modern horror films try to kill off their characters in the quickest and most creative ways possible, this one opts for scenes of prolonged suffering and suspense that makes it a little smarter than the average slasher film.

Zariwny has said that while the original “Cabin Fever” was a black comedy horror, he set out to make a serious horror film. However, the film is still unintentionally funny at parts, as much humor comes at the expense of the backwards locals. Overall, this is a somewhat enjoyable film if one can turn off his or her brain while watching it and not overthink the plot or the motives of certain characters.

“Cabin Fever” opens Feb. 12 in select theaters and on VOD.